5 takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira

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After a week without an event, the UFC was back last night. This time, the promotion visited Nashville for the first event there in almost two years.

UFC Fight Night: Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira did not feature too many big names, but overall, it was a pretty fun show.

So with a good handful of talking points, this was an event well worth watching.

Here are five takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira.

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#5. Vitor Petrino has some potential in a thin UFC heavyweight division

When Vitor Petrino reeled off four octagon wins in a row to take his overall record to 11-0, it looked like the light-heavyweight division had a new prospect to watch.

However, back-to-back losses to Anthony Smith and Dustin Jacoby completely derailed 'Icao', shunting him down the ladder before he'd had a real chance to climb it.

This weekend, though, Petrino moved into the second phase of his UFC career, bulking up to heavyweight to face Austen Lane.

Petrino looked to be in fantastic physical condition at Friday's weigh-in, seemingly packing on muscle with no real increase in body fat.

The Brazilian then put on the best display of his career to date to dispatch Lane, taking him down, dominating him on the ground, and choking him out in just under a single round.

Petrino clearly wasn't quite good enough to climb into contention at 205 pounds, but in the thin heavyweight division? There's every chance that he could develop into a genuine threat, although he'll need to pass trickier tests than this one.


#4. Nate Landwehr's wild style might be catching up with him

While he isn't considered a title contender at 145 pounds, Nate Landwehr has become a cult favorite with UFC fans since his 2020 debut, and for good reason.

Not only is 'Nate the Train' hilarious on the mic, but he never fails to put on thrilling fights, as he's willing to throw down and brawl with anyone put in the octagon with him.

The problem with that approach, though, is that while it can gain a fighter popularity, it can also shorten a career due to the damage they absorb.

That might be what's happening to Landwehr now. After being stopped by Doo Ho Choi in his last bout - his second loss in three fights - he fell to Morgan Charriere last night.

'The Last Pirate' is a strong, hard-hitting fighter, but in the second round, it appeared that Landwehr was getting on top.

However, he was simply too willing to brawl it out in the third round, and when Charriere caught him with a nasty right hand, he didn't stop until the fight was over.

'Nate the Train' will definitely be kept around by Dana White and company, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see his career take a slide of sorts now, which is sad. He ought to be a cautionary tale for younger fighters.


#3. Steve Garcia is legit, and it's time to give him an elite opponent

It's arguable that no fighter on last night's card came into the event with more momentum than Steve Garcia.

'Mean Machine' had won his last five fights in the UFC, all via TKO, and was due a step up in competition.

Despite losing his last four fights, Calvin Kattar was definitely that step up. 'The Boston Finisher' is past his best, but his fights with opponents like Zabit Magomedsharipov, Aljamain Sterling, and Josh Emmett made him by far Garcia's best foe yet.

So could Garcia pass the test? The answer was an absolute yes. While he didn't manage to stop the veteran, 'Mean Machine' left no doubt who was the better fighter on the night.

Garcia cracked Kattar with constant combinations, pressured him onto his back foot throughout the fight, and dropped him for a split-second in the third round.

Given he's now on a five-fight losing streak, Kattar's UFC tenure may be under threat now, but Garcia should now move into the top fifteen. It's time to give 'Mean Machine' an elite-level test next, because he's more than earned it.


#2. Should Stephen Thompson have been given the nod over Gabriel Bonfim?

Every UFC card seems to have a contentious decision from the judges, and last night was no different. In the co-headliner, prospect Gabriel Bonfim outpointed former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson and was awarded a unanimous decision.

However, should 'Wonderboy' in fact have been given the nod by the judges? It appeared that the crowd thought so, as they didn't seem very happy after the fight.

There's no question that Thompson scored the biggest moments of the fight, hurting Bonfim with head kicks in the second and third rounds. To add to this, the cut he suffered on his leg was more of a cosmetic injury than anything serious.

However, while 'Wonderboy' scored more strikes overall, 'Marretinha' did manage to take the veteran down in all three rounds, had a total of over five minutes of control time, and definitely dictated where the bout was fought.

Overall, then, it depends on how you score MMA. Do you give more points to the big moments or the overall control? As it has been for years, it's highly debatable. Therefore, this one could've gone either way, and probably shouldn't go down as a robbery.


#1. Derrick Lewis still has the ultimate equaliser in his hands

Last night's headliner saw heavyweight prospect Tallison Teixeira attempt to make a step up in competition. Unfortunately for him, former UFC title challenger Derrick Lewis appeared to be a bridge too far.

It took 'The Black Beast' just 35 seconds to score his 16th knockout in the octagon, extending his own UFC record further.

Teixeira simply didn't have a chance to even get going. The Brazilian landed an inadvertent eye poke that seemed to do little else but flick a switch in Lewis, and moments later, the fight was over.

'The Black Beast' decked Teixeira with a left hand and then swarmed on him with serious violence. Despite the prospect's best attempts, he could not recover, and the fight was stopped.

Lewis has been written off countless times in the past, and sure, his durability and speed aren't what they once were. However, while he's still got the ultimate equaliser in his hands - his insane power - he'll always be a threat to any foe.

In fact, to see him eventually get to 20 knockouts in the UFC wouldn't be too big of a shock.

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About the author

Scott Newman

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann

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